Roadhouse Blues - Pieces of the Heart #5
by GeekGirlz-R-Us
Summary: Angel and company, along with Spike and Dawn head for Oklahoma to get Lindesy's legal help in protecting Dawn and find out something ugly is on their trail
1. Default Chapter

Roadhouse Blues  
  
Pieces of the Heart Series - Part 5  
  
By D M Evans & S J Smith  
  
Rating - PG-13 Spoilers -None Disclaimer - We don't own any of the characters and are grateful for the chance to play with them. Summary - Angel's crew along with Spike and Dawn head for Oklahoma to solicit some help in keeping Dawn safe until they can find Buffy A.N. - This takes place immediately after the end of Season five and before season six and the whole series is an alternative take on what happened after "The Gift"  
  
Chapter One  
  
Angel's nostrils flared as he followed the scent of smoke. Not surprisingly, the tendrils led him to the room he'd given Spike. Not bothering with knocking, he went in, glaring at the blond vampire, who lounged shirtless on his bed, staring at the TV with a cigarette clamped between his lips.  
  
Spike canted his eyes at Angel. "Doesn't anyone bloody knock around here?"  
  
"I told you no smoking in the hotel, Spike." Angel tucked his hands in his pockets and leaned towards the recumbent vampire.  
  
Spike blew rings at him. "It's not like I can go outside in the middle of the afternoon. I'm in my own room. Who's it hurting?"  
  
Angel sighed. It was hard to argue that. Spike couldn't go out. Angel wasn't sure if his dead body was addicted or if Spike smoked for effect and out of boredom. He glanced around the room. It hadn't changed much in its Spartan nature since Spike moved in, bringing with him only a few things; most noticeably the TV set and a large trunk that Spike had let no one help him with moving it up the steps. That alone made Angel want to know what Spike was concealing.  
  
"Just keep it in here," Angel said, feeling small hands on his back. He looked down into Dawn's upturned face.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked. "Shouldn't you guys be sleeping or something?"  
  
"Passions will be on soon," Spike said, tapping out the butt.  
  
Dawn made an exasperated sound. "You and Mom, talking about that show like it was real." Her face screwed up at the memory. "Wish she were still here to do it."  
  
"We know." Angel stroked her hair. He looked over her head at Spike. "Passions?"  
  
"It's a soap opera," Dawn said, crossing her arms.  
  
Angel felt laughter trying to escape despite all the tragedies that swirled around them in the wake of Buffy's death. He clamped a hand over his mouth, not quite in time.  
  
Spike's grey eyes slotted. "What?" He sat up challengingly, his muscles bunching.  
  
Angel's shoulders shook as he lost the battle with the laughter. Dawn picked up on it and started giggling, too.  
  
"You.watch soap operas?" Angel managed to rasp out. "Don't even try to interrupt. When he was watching over Mom and me, those two would get so into it I could have run off and they'd never know," Dawn said, her face red and streaked with tears of mirth.  
  
Angel leaned back against the doorjamb, letting all the misery he'd been keeping inside dissolve into nervous laughter. "The Big Bad watching soaps?"  
  
Spike flipped him a two-fingered salute. "You two do not need to hang around here, laughing at me." Neither of them moved. "Besides, it's good." He lit up another cigarette just to be contrary.  
  
Dawn waved a hand, wrinkling her nose against the smoke. "That's what Mom used to say."  
  
"Giant serpents, witches, satanically possessed teens, people being sent to hell, what more could a guy ask for? Besides, I'm watching it for Sheridan. McKenzie Westmore is hot." Spike leered.  
  
Dawn shrugged. "I guess Luis is kinda cute. Mom thought so."  
  
"People being sent to hell?" Angel's eyebrows arched  
  
"I haven't had this much fun with a TV show since Dark Shadows."  
  
"What?"  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. "Come on, Peaches, Dark Shadows. The main character, Barnabas Collins, was a vampire."  
  
"Never heard of it," Angel said with an exasperated shrug.  
  
"Me neither."  
  
"You, I can understand, niblet. It was on in the sixties, after all. How could you miss a soap opera about a vampire, Angel? Oh that's right, that was in your living-in-a-dumpster-eating-rats period." Spike curled his lip at the older vampire.  
  
Angel's eyes narrowed. "Spike.."  
  
Dawn made a face. "You lived in a dumpster?"  
  
"Not exactly."  
  
"Yes exactly." Spike shook his head. "Saw him once or twice back then, reeking and dirty. Even Dru didn't want anything to do with him he was so pathetic."  
  
"Spike." Angel squared his shoulders. "Shut up."  
  
Spike exchanged a glance with Dawn that said 'tell-you-later.' "Don't you have to go put more gel in your hair or something? It's starting to sag a little on the top."  
  
"Oh, look at the pot calling the kettle black." Angel glared. "Could you get more gel in that hair? What's the matter Spike? Afraid of looking like a sheep's backside?"  
  
Before they could fall back into their age-old habit of non-stop squabbling, Cordy's voice rang through the hotel.  
  
"Angel! We found Lindsey!"  
  
Hope glimmered in Angel's dark eyes. "Come on, Dawn. You, too, Spike."  
  
Spike rolled to his feet. "I'm never going to get to see if Luis and Sheridan defeat Tabitha's spells to keep them apart," he groused, taking a drag on his cigarette.  
  
"Spike, no smoking anywhere else in the hotel," Angel reminded him as Spike headed for the door.  
  
"Bloody hell!" He crushed out the cigarette, threw on a shirt and followed Angel and Dawn downstairs.  
  
Cordy and Wesley were ringed around Fred who stared intently at the computer. Wesley craned his head around to watch the trio descend down the stairs. He and Cordy both beamed triumphantly.  
  
"You found him?" Angel asked.  
  
Wesley nodded. "Fred found his name with a law firm."  
  
"He even has his own web page," Fred said, tapping the screen with a nail.  
  
"Where is he?" Angel meant it as a casual question but it came out as a growl, his need to get in touch with the lawyer adding tension to an already overwhelming situation. He needed Lindsey in order to take legal responsibility for Dawn. It sounded ludicrous even to his ears but when the teen in question was really a powerful mystical entity, regular foster care simply wouldn't do. Angel hadn't ever given much thought about fatherhood, especially when he had been alive and up to no good in Ireland. Once or twice a desperate fantasy about Buffy and he as parents had echoed around his mind but even then it struck him as silly. A pregnant Slayer? Slayers didn't have children. They didn't usually live long enough.  
  
Cordy glanced at the screen and made a face like she had stepped in muck. "Oklahoma? That can't be right. Who leaves L.A. and goes to Oklahoma? I mean, what's in Oklahoma for a high priced lawyer.for anyone with an ounce of sense of style?"  
  
"A lawyer who wants to work with big money Indian casinos it seems," Wesley said dryly.  
  
"You're serious?" Angel asked, moving around to look at the screen.  
  
Wesley nodded. "He's working for the Choctaw Indian Gaming Center in Durant."  
  
"Do I sense a road trip in our future?" Spike asked, with a smarmy grin.  
  
"Eww, to Oklahoma?" Cordy gave an exaggerated shudder.  
  
"Well, he's not just going to come back to L.A. on my say-so. A phone call won't do it," Angel said, crossing his arms.  
  
"Unfortunately Durant doesn't seem to be close to anything." Wesley said, turning his attention back to the monitor.  
  
Fred brought up a few maps. "It's over four hours from Tulsa, and three from Oklahoma City. Your best bet is to fly into Dallas. It's less than a hundred miles from there."  
  
Angel shook his head. "No flying. We can't guarantee we'll land in the evening."  
  
Dawn tapped his arm. "Can't you take a red eye? We don't have a lot of time. The state might think I'm a runaway by now."  
  
"Runaways can go missing for years, love. Just ask missing persons," Spike said.  
  
"She has a point, Angel. It's not just her I'm concerned about. Wolfram and Hart are threatening to take the hotel. Certainly we can find somewhere else to live and work but they're doing it just to irritate you. Lindsey may know of a way to block them from buying this place," Wesley reminded him  
  
Dawn's eyes turned to Angel, a shiver racing through her. "You could lose the hotel?"  
  
"It's okay, Dawn. Wes, you know if something goes wrong, I could be caught in daylight," Angel said.  
  
"Yeah but usually if things go wrong, they make you wait all day in the airport. You could just hang out in the men's room until dark," Dawn said.  
  
Spike wrinkled his nose. "Do you know how bad that smells to noses as sensitive as ours? And if there's trouble landing, the passengers will get treated to vampire flambé."  
  
"I could check to see if there's one leaving just after dark. That would give you hours in case of trouble. It's not a long flight from here to Dallas," Cordy said, nudging Fred away from the computer, not sure if Fred knew about checking for flights on line. Fred had lost track of how long she had been in Pylea and had gaps in her knowledge of every day life.  
  
"We'd better start thinking of other reasonable alternatives. According to the map, Durant is over thirty hours by car. Giving you eight hours of darkness to drive in, it'll take you over three days to get there," Wesley pointed out.  
  
"What's going on?" Angel and Spike glanced up as Gunn walked into the hotel lobby. "Hey, sweetie," he said to Dawn.  
  
"Hey, Gunn." She smiled and flushed a little. "Fred found Lindsey," she said, waving a hand at the computer. "He's in Oklahoma."  
  
Gunn's eyebrows lifted. "Oklahoma? Isn't that where all the cows are?"  
  
"Good thing it isn't Iowa," Spike muttered, just loud enough that Angel caught it. Dawn fixed the blond vampire with a glare, letting Angel know she'd heard him as well. Spike slouched against the counter. "Care to tell me why we need this guy? I mean, I see lawyers on the TV all the time. What's wrong with one of them?"  
  
"Hello? If we needed an ambulance chaser, they'd be banging on the door to get in," Cordelia said. "We need a real lawyer."  
  
"Besides," Angel said, leaning back against the desk, "we can trust Lindsey."  
  
Wesley glared, obviously not at all sure about that, and then he decided it wasn't worth fighting about. "At the very least, Angel should talk to Lindsey. It's unlikely he would take our phone calls so we have to go to Oklahoma."  
  
"Driving it is," Spike said, fiddling with his pack of cigarettes.  
  
"It does seem the best idea," Wesley said, turning to Angel. "Though it will be an excessively long trip if you can only drive at night."  
  
"He won't be alone. I'm going with him," Dawn said in a tone that brooked no argument.  
  
"I'm not sure that's wise," Wesley said. "Angel doesn't exactly look old enough to be your father and an older man and a teen-aged girl.that might attract unwanted attention."  
  
"And you're not old enough to help with the driving, little bit, and the Angel-mobile isn't exactly sun-proof," Spike said.  
  
"Your car is," Dawn argued.  
  
"Spike does have a point, Dawn. You can't help me drive and if we want this done quickly, we'll have to find something I can ride in during the day while someone else drives," Angel said.  
  
"Oh!" Cordelia snapped her fingers and pointed at Angel. "How about a Winnebago? They're not cheap to rent but they're comfortable. You could hide out in back."  
  
Wesley fingered his lower lip before nodding decisively. "It is a good idea," he admitted and Angel nodded.  
  
"I can make some calls right now," Cordelia said, reaching into the drawer for the yellow pages.  
  
"Thanks, Cordy," Angel said catching the looks of muted horror that passed between Spike and Dawn. "Are you okay, Dawn?"  
  
"Yes!" she said a little too quickly. "But who else is going with you to drive?"  
  
"I'll do it," Wesley said.  
  
"I'll go with you, too, Dawny," Cordy said and everyone looked at her. "What? You never know when I'll be cast as a cowgirl. Call it research."  
  
"Spike's coming, too," Dawn said, reaching a hand out to him. He took it, giving it a little shake.  
  
"Eww, no Dawn. We don't need him." Cordy shot a hateful look Spike's way.  
  
"He goes!" Dawn insisted.  
  
"Cordelia, she's right. After all, I'm not comfortable with William the Bloody having free rein around here while we're on the road," Wesley said.  
  
Spike snorted. "I gave up Passions to take this abuse?"  
  
"I'm taping it," Cordelia piped up then frowned as all eyes turned to her. "I mean, can you imagine? Being reincarnated constantly, always falling in love with each other but never being able to be together because of Tabitha? Maybe this time Tabitha loses and Luis and Sheridan can be together in peace."  
  
"Not bloody likely. She's been keeping them apart since Luis was in Caesar's army and Sheridan was a princess in Cleopatra's court," Spike interjected.  
  
Angel, Gunn and Wesley gave mirroring horrified looks. Dawn just rolled her eyes, tossing her hair back.  
  
"Spike, when you're ready to find your manhood again, we still need to discuss our plans for handling Lindsey," Angel said.  
  
Spike's features flashed into vampire mode for a moment of challenge before smoothing back out.  
  
"Someone should stay here. We can't leave Angel Investigations with no one at the helm," Wesley said.  
  
"I got no burning desire to head for Oklahoma. I can take care of things here," Gunn said. "And Fred should probably stay. I'm not sure she's ready for a long trip yet."  
  
Fred nodded her agreement.  
  
"Cordy, see what you can find out about that Winnebago," Angel said. At her nod, he turned to Spike. "We need to stock up on a few things. Come with me."  
  
"I'm never going to see my show," Spike said but followed Angel out of the lobby. 


	2. chapter 2

Chapter Two  
  
"Damn, either it's too cold or way too bloody hot. I hate microwaves," Spike grumbled, handing Angel one of the mugs of warmed blood.  
  
"At least we're ready for the trip," Angel said, lifting his head toward the ceiling as if to be sure Dawn was up in bed and not somewhere listening in. "I'm just not sure we're doing the right thing."  
  
"You don't want to take care of Dawn?" Fred asked, curling her legs up.  
  
Angel didn't answer for a moment. He didn't want to consider the huge responsibility he was taking on. "I was thinking more of should we even be trusting Lindsey. He's helped in the past but he's betrayed us more often than not."  
  
"Now you tell us," Spike grumbled, fishing out his cigarettes. A glare from everyone made him slide them back into his pocket.  
  
"Is this the right decision? Trusting Lindsey to help with Dawn and the hotel? Is it even the right thing for me to take Dawn? She would probably be better off with Giles and the Watchers. At least they're alive," Angel said, shifting the mug between his big hands.  
  
"It's not like you will be raising Dawn alone. You have us," Cordy said with a wave at Wesley, Gunn and herself.  
  
Angel sat back, considering. "Just wish I knew if this was the right path." he trailed off then brightened. "There is a way to test it."  
  
Gunn, Cordy and Wesley's eyes grew big.  
  
"Oh no!" Cordy gasped.  
  
"I really don't think this is a good idea," Wesley said, shaking his head.  
  
"I'm with English on this one," Gunn said.  
  
"Why not?" Angel asked irritated.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Spike asked, perplexed.  
  
"He's talking about Lorne," Wesley said.  
  
"I'll bite. What's a Lorne?" Spike finished draining the mug of pig's blood.  
  
"Lorne is from another dimension, the one we were in when.Buffy died," Cordy said, her gaze dropping. Fred trembled at the mention of Pylea. "He can tell you your future."  
  
"And he could tell me if taking in Dawn is the right thing to do," Angel said, getting more excited about the idea  
  
"So let's go ask," Spike said.  
  
"It's not as simple as that. Lorne doesn't just tell you your future," Wesley said.  
  
"He makes you sing karaoke, man." Gunn shook his head. "Have you ever heard Angel sing?"  
  
The three investigators all shuddered.  
  
"Hey! I'm not so bad," Angel protested and they all gave him a look. "I'm not."  
  
"I've heard him sing. Peaches is the only Irishman I've ever met who couldn't carry a tune with both hands." Spike laughed.  
  
"Well, it's not like they're much better," Angel grumbled, waving his hand at his friends.  
  
"I could sing, if you think it'd help. I'm in this, too," Spike said.  
  
"You?" Cordy snickered.  
  
"Hey, I sing a bloody sight better than Angel does."  
  
"It's worth a try. If Lorne doesn't see anything relating to Dawn in Spike's future, we'll survive Angel's singing.I think," Wesley said, pulling the corners of his mouth down to hide a smile.  
  
They left Fred and Gunn to keep an eye out for Dawn and drove to Caritas only to find a rather long list of names ready to sing. Angel knew the Host would frown on line-jumpers so they added Spike's name to the bottom and took their seats. The smell of fresh paint hung cloyingly in the air . Angel, Wesley and Cordy noticed the damage Angel's car had done to Caritas was well repaired. Business was, as usual, booming but only one lonely demon was to be seen mixed in with the swell of humanity. While an overweight man butchered George Strait's The Fireman, the Host sashayed over to their table.  
  
"How do you tell someone if they don't stop super sizing their fries they won't have a future?" he asked in way of introduction. He leveled his red gaze at Spike. "Another of your friends, Angel-cakes?"  
  
"Sort of," Angel said, ignoring Spike's gleeful look. He mouthed 'don't-you- dare' to the younger vampire knowing it was hopeless. "He'll be singing later."  
  
"I'll be looking forward to it provided you're any better than he is." Lorne hooked a thumb at Angel.  
  
"I can guarantee it." Spike rocked back in his chair and studied the demon.  
  
"Good. Try some of the AB negative. I hear it's very good," Lorne said.  
  
Spike's eyes lit up. "As in the real thing? Not pig's blood?"  
  
"Fresh from the blood bank.well, not so fresh really. That's why they threw it out but I've had no complaints about the taste." Lorne waved a waitress over and waited until she took Spike's order before saying, "The vibes at this table.I'm glad you're in the back. You'd drag me down if I stuck around here."  
  
"We recently lost a friend," Wesley said, glancing at Angel.  
  
Angel dropped his gaze to his entwined fingers, not speaking.  
  
The Host looked from one to the other of the group, seeing the downcast eyes and uneasy expressions on them all. "This friend must have been very special."  
  
"She was the Slayer," Spike said, when none of the others spoke up.  
  
Lorne's gaze softened. "I'm sorry. I hadn't heard." He patted Angel's shoulder, then, almost as an afterthought; laid his hand against Spike's back. "I hate to do this, but I have to do my job. I'll be back later." He then headed for the fat man quitting the stage.  
  
A little while later, Spike sat back contentedly with warm human blood in a wine glass in one hand and a cold beer in the other. He gazed around the club. "Not a bad place. It's not the Bronze but some of these guys are better than some of the bands that got booked there. Does it have any blooming onions?"  
  
"You eat? Angel doesn't," Cordy said.  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. "That's because he's big into denying himself stuff."  
  
"Nothing has any taste," Angel said wearily, tired of this argument.  
  
"Things have taste.well, just a little. It won't keep us alive but I like to eat." Spike lit up. "It's social."  
  
"We're not here for you to find a new hang-out Spike," Angel cautioned.  
  
Spike blew the smoke at him then waved a waitress over to order another round.  
  
"Spike, we need you sober to sing and not overstuffed on blood for that matter," Angel said.  
  
"Takes more than two beers," Spike shot back.  
  
Angel scowled. "I'm not footing your tab, Spike."  
  
"I have money."  
  
"That begs the question of how," Wesley said and Spike shot him the bird.  
  
They settled back into silence until Spike's name was called. He sang a more than passable rendition of Alice Cooper's Poison. Spike rejoined the group after stopping to grab up another beer.  
  
"You're right. You do sing better than Angel," Cordy said. "Not that it takes much."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Tell me, I really must know, do you two always fight as much as I'm seeing down the road?" Lorne asked, coming back over.  
  
"Pretty much," Angel said.  
  
Lorne gave an exaggerated roll of his red eyes. "I am so relieved that your futures are interwoven because I'm in no hurry to hear your less than dulcet tones, Angel-cakes."  
  
"Just tell us, are we doing the right thing, taking Dawn in or would she be better off back in Sunnydale?"  
  
"Saddle up, my friend, you're heading to Oklahoma," Lorne replied then sauntered off singing on the top of his voice. "O-o-o-klahoma where the winds go sweeping down the plains!"  
  
"That was just disturbing." Spike gazed after the Host.  
  
Angel ran a hand down his face. "Let's go."  
  
"Sure partner. We'll even get you a ten gallon hat while we're there," Spike drawled in a bad Texas accent.  
  
Angel glared as they got up to leave.  
  
"Cheer up. You know you're doing the right thing now.Angel-cakes." Spike pounded Angel's back as he sailed past.  
  
"Maybe we should just stake him now." 


	3. chapter 3

Chapter Three  
  
Angel cast his gaze toward the front of the Winnebago where Dawn sat next to Cordy talking animatedly about something feminine and mysterious while Wesley drove. Angel looked over at Spike who was stretched out on the bench seat, looking too tense to actually sleep.  
  
"Want to tell me about it?"  
  
"Don't know what you mean," Spike said, pulling out his cigarettes. He tore off the filter, put it in his mouth and sucked the bare end of it before tossing it aside disgustedly. He gave Angel a plaintive look.  
  
"No!"  
  
"Bloody hell."  
  
"Tell me why you and Dawn looked ready to come out of yours skins from the moment you both got into this RV. I don't know how long Cordy can keep her distracted and I can't help if I don't know what the problem is."  
  
Spike sighed, tossing an arm over his eyes. "Towards the end, we were at a loss as to how to protect Dawn. We still didn't know how to defeat Glory and she was too close to us. She turned Tara into a blithering idiot. She tortured me nearly to death. We knew we couldn't beat her so we ran," Spike said woodenly, as if trying to distance himself from the memory  
  
"Ran?" That came out as a whisper of disbelief.  
  
Spike dropped his arm and gave Angel a defiant look. "We had no bloody choice. Call it strategic withdrawal.we did. I rented us an RV, nothing as nice as this," Spike said lowly, sitting up with a wave around at the state of the art vehicle. "But it was the best the Slayer and I could afford. The damn thing had no pick up.maybe if it had things would have been different." Spike broke off with a melancholy look. Angel scooted closer, so Spike wouldn't have to talk loud enough to be overheard. "These wankers who didn't seem to know the Middle Ages were over caught up to us. That damn RV couldn't even outrun horses. They wanted to kill Dawn before Glory could use her. We had to fight them, which with Willow worrying after Tara and it being sun-up meant Buffy had to fight more or less alone. If things had ended differently, if she hadn't died." Spike trailed off, turning his gaze to the front of the RV. He shaded his eyes, tearing from the sunlight spilling in the windshield. "Maybe it's better she did."  
  
Angel stared at him, stunned at that statement. "What happened Spike?"  
  
"Angel she fought regular humans. A few of them got flung off the top of a moving RV. For all I know, they died.." Spike gave Angel a look of muted horror at the implications. "She hurt humans to protect Dawn. I don't know if she could have lived with the consequences of that," he whispered.  
  
Angel pulled an involuntary breath into dead lungs, shocked to the core by the revelation. "Two Slayers with human blood on their hands," he muttered, thinking of Faith.  
  
"In the end, even that wasn't enough." Spike's pale eyes caught Angel's for a moment then flicked away. "I nearly lost both hands to a sword. We almost made it then Giles took a spear to the gut and crashed the RV. That was the longest hike of our lives to this abandoned building with Rupert bleeding to death and me trying not to burn. That's when we made our fatal mistake." Spike trailed a finger over the seat.  
  
"What mistake?" Angel prompted. Willow hadn't told Angel this part. Neither had Dawn or he wouldn't have agreed to take her cross county and make her relive this.  
  
"Buffy couldn't let her Watcher die and there was nothing we could do to help. I couldn't even put him out of his misery, as if Buffy would have let me." Spike shut his eyes against the memories. "So she called in help. Ben."  
  
Angel cocked his head slightly, not recognizing the name.  
  
Spike ran a hand through his slicked-back hair. "Of all the people she could have called for help.he had medical training sure. I think she liked him a little, especially after commando boy ran out on her." He traded looks with Angel again and took from Angel's expression they both hated Riley for pretty much the same reasons. "We didn't know then that Ben was Glory's human cage. We thought Ben's nervousness, his wanting to run the hell on out of there was because of the guys with the swords. He stabilized Giles but then bam. He turned into Glory, grabbed Dawn and that was it! The beginning of the end and I was the only one who realized it. Glory could shield the transformation from human eyes but not mine. Not that it mattered. It was over then and we knew it." Spike took out his cigarettes again, fiddling with the pack before dropping it on the seat beside him. "So, that's why being in here, in an RV's got Dawny and me jumpy."  
  
"You should have told me before we brought her out here."  
  
Spike laughed. "If you think that would have stopped her, you don't know Dawn."  
  
Angel mulled over that then said softly, "Willow said there wasn't anything I could have done if I'd been there instead of rescuing Cordy. But maybe.."  
  
"It ain't worth going there, Liam," Spike whispered.  
  
Angel startled. It had been a long time since he had heard Spike call him by his given name and he wasn't sure he had ever done so without making it sound like a four-letter word before. He moved a hand close to Spike's pack of smokes, contemplating taking one for himself but restrained himself. Angelus smoked, he more or less didn't.  
  
"Maybe if you and I had both been on that tower we could have stopped Doc from starting the ceremony. But you weren't there and I wasn't enough. No matter how much we want to, we can't change that. Dawn being alive and Glory dead, we have to take comfort in that," Spike said but the words sounded hollow even to him.  
  
"But is Glory dead?"  
  
Spike frowned and unfurled himself on the seat, shoving his legs between Angel and the back of the bench. "We think so. She went back into Ben and Ben's dead. That was Glory's only weakness; she could be hurt in that form. I'm not sure which of us killed him. My money's on Rupert."  
  
Both vampires fell silent for a time.  
  
"It wasn't her death. It wasn't her time," Spike muttered, not looking at Angel.  
  
"I know."  
  
Spike nudged Angel's back with his knee. "Dru told me that this law firm of yours brought Darla back to life as a human."  
  
Angel nodded. "They did."  
  
"Didn't this Lindsey bloke work for them?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Was he there when they mojo'ed Darla back?" Spike asked.  
  
Angel gave Spike a look, thinking he knew where Spike was heading with this. It was a place he had gone to himself a few times since he heard the news of Buffy's death. "I tried to stop them.wasn't even sure what they were trying to do just that it wasn't good. I didn't succeed but I didn manage to cut off Lindsey's hand."  
  
Spike pulled a face. "And you're expecting him to help us?"  
  
Angel gave a short bitter laugh. "It gets worse. He's in love with Darla."  
  
"Another one with poor taste in love."  
  
Angel chose to ignore that slight. "Second to last time I saw Lindsey he ran me over with his truck and tried to finish me off with a shovel."  
  
Spike's lips quirked up. "Well, you do have that effect on people, Peaches."  
  
Angel snarled at him but was somehow relieved to see a hint of Spike's usual acerbic wit returning  
  
"What did you do to this lawyer besides cut off his hand to get him so worked up? Darla wanted you back. Dru told me that."  
  
"She almost got me. We.well, you know and Lindsey must have found out about it." Angel glanced away, acutely embarrassed about having had sex with Darla again. Worse was the memory that he had been ready to shuck his shreds of humanity and give in to being Angelus just to end his torment.  
  
Spike arched an eyebrow. "I didn't think you could do that any more without becoming Angelus again."  
  
"Seems I can so long as it doesn't bring me real happiness. Turns out Darla just doesn't make me happy."  
  
"That's because she defines the word bitch." Spike made a face, the scar over his eye twisting. "I've never liked the bint."  
  
"The feeling was mutual, Spike."  
  
"So why do you think this Lindsey will help?"  
  
"I'm not sure he will."  
  
"Then we'll make him. I'm thinking.he was there when Darla came back. He knows how it was done." Spike stopped and glanced up at Dawn to make sure she wasn't listening.  
  
Angel swallowed hard certain now Spike was thinking along the same lines, lines he hadn't dared voice to anyone, especially not Dawn. It had taken him time to get past his pain to even remember the books they had brought back from Pylea; the wolf, ram and hart and the scroll he had taken from Lindsey's severed hand. "I've considered it, Spike."  
  
"It was part of the reason I came to L.A..to talk to you about it. I'm still not sure it's the right thing to do even if it makes us happy. What if it's the wrong thing to do? For all we know, she's at peace and won't be happy to be brought back.even if she remembers being dead," Spike said.  
  
"I've considered that.wrestled with it. I spent five hundred years in hell when I died to stop Acathla and I remember it all. Would memories of heaven be even more haunting? Would she really want to be the Slayer again?" Angel let his head fall back against the wall.  
  
"She could be just a normal girl for all we know. Another Slayer's been chosen by now ...maybe. Giles hadn't heard anything about a new one. Still, there's Faith."  
  
"Normal.wouldn't that be nice," Angel whispered then glanced up at Dawn. "Keep quiet about this Spike. I don't want Dawn to know.not yet. Not until we're sure it can be done.if it should be done."  
  
Spike nodded, shutting his eyes. "We ought to try to get some sleep, Angel, or we'll fall asleep at the wheel later." 


	4. chapter 4

Chapter Four  
  
Angel stared up at the night sky. It was immense, a furl of black stretching across the horizon and seemed to go on forever. Stars glittered like chips of ice in it, brilliant and cold, uncaring. Still, it had a beauty he couldn't ignore. He hadn't seen a sky this bright since he'd lived in Ireland. He hadn't paid much attention to the sky once Darla had turned him, past whether it was brightening into morning or not. Once he'd regained his soul, he hadn't cared to look up. He was too busy looking down, becoming a wreck of himself. And with Buffy..  
  
The years with Buffy he'd often been too involved in what she was doing to pay attention to the sky. They'd stared at the moon, like lovers do, usually as a prelude to kissing but they'd never actually looked at the sky. Then, in L.A., the light pollution would've blotted out many of the points of light he now saw.  
  
"What're you doing out here, Angel?"  
  
He looked back at Dawn, come from the diner. Her long hair was up in two braids and her eyes were still heavy with sleep. He smiled at her and gestured up.  
  
"Oh." She tilted her head back, looking. Dawn turned in a slow circle, taking it all in. "It's so big."  
  
"Enormous," Angel said in agreement. "What're you doing out here? Shouldn't you be eating your dinner?"  
  
Dawn shrugged self-consciously. "Wasn't very hungry. Spike's buying me some chips though."  
  
"Chips aren't very nutritious," Angel said.  
  
Rolling her eyes, the corner of her mouth twitched. "Thanks for the reminder, Dad." Dawn took his hand and swung it a little. "Buffy would've hated it here."  
  
"You think?"  
  
"Oh, please. Do you see a Starbucks or a mall anywhere for a hundred miles?" Dawn pointed in either direction along the road.  
  
"Yeah but think how far she'd be able to see a vampire coming," Angel said.  
  
Dawn stared up at him. "Did you just make a joke?" She wrinkled her nose. "It wasn't a good one."  
  
"I know."  
  
"But it was good that you made it." She hugged his arm briefly and tilted her head back up towards the sky.  
  
They both stared at it for a time, only the faint sounds of vehicles and people coming from the truck stop interrupting the silence. "Angel?"  
  
"Yes, Dawn?"  
  
"Do you think it hurt?" Her voice sounded little and lost.  
  
"I don't know, Dawn. I'd like to think it didn't." Angel turned to face her, taking her hands in his.  
  
Dawn looked at their joined hands for a little bit then asked, hesitantly, "What about when Buffy sent you away?" Dawn lifted her face to look at him, her eyes full of questions and guilt.  
  
He didn't want to lie to her. It had hurt, it had hurt to see the woman he loved with her face crumpling, unable to help him, her hands releasing the sword she'd used to send him to hell. "It hurt more because I drove Buffy to do it," Angel said. "I almost remembered all the things I'd done as Angelus. The fact that I'd forced her hand that way, that hurt worse than anything."  
  
"So it did hurt?" Dawn just picked up on the one word.  
  
"Yeah. But more emotionally than physically. I knew something bad had happened, if Buffy would be willing to stab me, Dawn. That's what hurt, that I could almost remember."  
  
"What was hell like?" She searched his face, her hands cold in his.  
  
"Painful." Angel closed his mouth, trying to blot out those images and memories, of the torment he went through during those five hundred years.  
  
When he didn't continue, Dawn said, "Oh." She ducked her head, pulling her hands free to play with the end of one of her braids. "I dreamed about her earlier," she said softly. She turned away from him. "I dreamed she came to me and she was all broken. She cried because she was in so much pain." Dawn's hands dropped to her side, forming fists. Her voice tightened and quivered when she said, "I killed her Angel. It was my fault."  
  
Angel wanted to go to her but knew she wouldn't accept the comfort of his touch right now. "Dawn, you know better. Don't blame yourself. There wasn't anything you could do to stop her."  
  
The girl whirled on him, furious now. "I could've, Angel. I could've jumped. I could've stopped the rift. It was my blood, too, my blood that opened it." She raised her fists and pounded on him. "Me! Why'd they make me a girl? Why'd they make me Buffy's sister, so I could watch Mom die? So I could watch Buffy die?" Her wail carried back to the diner. Angel noticed a few people in the parking lot staring at them. He ignored them to catch Dawn's wrists.  
  
"They made you human so Buffy could protect you, Dawn," Angel said softly, speaking just to her, forcing her to stop sobbing so she would hear him. "So she could love you. And she did love you, very much. All of us do." He bent over, so he could look her directly in the eyes. "Dawn, the monks did what they thought was best. And Buffy did what she thought was best, too. I don't think she made the wrong decision, I think she made the only decision she could. She wasn't going to let you die, Dawn. She'd had enough and she needed you to live."  
  
"Why?" Dawn asked, her voice breaking in five different directions.  
  
"So we'd have you. Don't you know, Dawn? You're everything your mother was and Buffy, too. I don't hate her for jumping into the rift, Dawn. She did it to save you and I'm proud of her for doing it. It makes me love her all that much more."  
  
"But you'll never get to tell her that," Dawn whispered. She smeared the tears across her face angrily.  
  
"I can tell you, though." At her furious look, Angel shook his head gently. "Dawn, your blood is Joyce's blood. It's Buffy's blood. And a part of them lives in you now. And a part of that blood remembers."  
  
She sniffed, her face screwed up in an effort to not cry again. Angel fished a handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to her.  
  
"Hey, little girl? You okay?"  
  
Dawn half-turned, seeing a burly man standing there, his hands open but his stance showed Angel that the man would rush him if he thought Dawn was in any trouble. She looked at the man dully. "I'm okay," she said, "thanks." She fumbled behind her and Angel slid his hand into hers, letting her latch onto it and squeeze tight.  
  
"You sure?" The man scowled at them both, his expression wary.  
  
She looked back at Angel and relaxed her grip, just a little. "He's my brother. He'd never let anything happen to me."  
  
"Oh." The man studied them and nodded abruptly. "You sure, now?"  
  
"Yes. Thank you for asking," Dawn said.  
  
"You're welcome, darlin'," the man said, walking away. They watched as he hauled himself into the cab of an eighteen-wheeler, starting the engine. It rumbled to life and slowly, the rig pulled out onto the asphalt. The driver watched them as he eased the truck past. Dawn lifted her hand and waved. Angel met the driver's eyes and nodded. The driver gave him a slight grin and the trailer rolled past them.  
  
"Brother?" Angel asked her, when the noise died down again.  
  
"Yeah. I thought if I said friend, he might take it the wrong way. You know, like Wesley said. Brothers and sisters fight all the time, right? At least, I know sisters do." She sighed heavily.  
  
"Do you want to go into the diner?" Angel asked her gently, when she didn't say any more.  
  
"No. I want to look at the stars." Dawn folded her arms around herself.  
  
Angel slipped off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. Dawn glanced back at him, surprised. "You look cold," he said.  
  
"You aren't going anywhere are you, Angel?" Dawn asked, a little apprehensively.  
  
"Not while you need me, Dawn."  
  
"Good." She leaned against him then, resting the back of her head on his chest. "Good."  
  
Angel laid his hands on her shoulders and together they stared at the night sky. 


	5. chapter 5

Chapter Five  
  
"But I don't want to wait in the RV," Dawn moaned petulantly. Nearly two days of constant traveling had frayed everyone's nerves and the young teen's especially. "This concerns me. I don't want left behind."  
  
"One problem pet, no one under twenty-one gets through the front door," Spike replied, gazing out at the neon.  
  
"It's not fair," she pouted.  
  
"It's for your protection," Cordelia said. "I went in earlier to nose around. I told them I was looking for my cousin, Lindsey but they wouldn't give me an address other than to tell me he works for Stewart, Gravely and Schneider Law Associates. But the customer service rep was nice enough to tell me my cousin has a new band, called Passing the Bar and they'll be playing at the battle of the bands tonight." She shook her head. "This brings back memories of high school and watching Devon play with the Dingoes."  
  
Wesley gave a thin smile. "Hopefully by now that rep is off-duty and didn't think to leave a message that Lindsey's cousin is looking for her so he won't be tipped off."  
  
"And it's dark enough for me and Spike not to worry about it. When did they say the battle of the bands started, Cordelia?" Angel asked, stretching. Even his undead body beginning to feel the strain of long miles in a box on wheels.  
  
"At eight. So we have a half hour to wait. We probably shouldn't just show up on the dot. What are the chances he'll be the first one up?" Cordelia asked.  
  
"We'll go in, in an hour," Angel decided.  
  
"I'm so sick of being cooped up in here," Dawn said as Spike headed for the RV door. "There's absolutely nothing to do. Have you ever seen anything so flat and red?"  
  
"Where are you going, Spike?" Angel asked.  
  
"Hey, I don't have to worry about him spotting me. He doesn't know me I'm going to have a little fun. I'll meet you in the karaoke bar at 8:30," Spike replied, fishing out his cigarettes.  
  
"Stay. Sit."  
  
"I'm not your dog, Angel. Who's it going to hurt if I get a little gambling in on the side?" Spike asked, sounding as grouchy as Dawn.  
  
"We need to stay together," Angel argued.  
  
"Hey, the blood-bags went in by themselves when we were sleeping," Spike said.  
  
"Oh, I really must protest," Wesley said.  
  
"You know, you're even more uptight than Giles and that's saying something," Spike said, sliding out a cigarette.  
  
"Spike, I'm tired of telling you, no smoking in the RV." Angel sighed.  
  
"I need this," Spike grated out, his slim shoulders tensing.  
  
"Fine, outside," Angel gave in.  
  
Spike stalked out. Angel glanced around at his companions.  
  
"How long do we give him before he runs off to the casino?" Wesley asked.  
  
"He's gone already. I don't smell the cigarette and I would from here," Angel said wearily.  
  
"You just can't expect him to be a team player, Angel," Wesley said in a poor attempt at comforting.  
  
"He did it for Buffy," Angel shot back.  
  
"No offense, Angel and not to upset you," Cordy started, holding out a hand. "But you just don't have the same the appeal to Spike as Buffy probably did."  
  
Angel couldn't quite keep from glaring and Dawn snorted. Angel glanced over at her. "It's true, isn't it Dawn?" he asked quietly. "Spike was in love with Buffy." He took in the horrified face Cordelia made at that revelation and Dawn's evasive look.  
  
"I.I didn't want to say anything. You two fight enough," she accused.  
  
"But it's true," Angel said.  
  
"Yes. I guess so. She didn't love him back though.but it didn't matter to him. He helped her anyhow." Dawn gave her head a little shake, thinking on how odd and awkward that had to be. "He can be a team player with you, too, Angel. Just give him the chance."  
  
"He and I were a team for many years, Dawn but it was never easy between us. I don't imagine it'll get any easier now." Angel almost added 'not with Buffy between us' but kept it to himself. He wanted to go into the casino to keep an eye on Spike, not ready to leave him on his own but he knew the risk of Lindsey spotting him was too great. He'd just have to trust in Spike to show up to help them at the appointed time.  
  
* * *  
  
Spike filled his dead lungs with smoke as dollar tokens clanked out of the slot machine. He had helped himself to someone's cup of tokens, lucky enough to make off with it. He shouldn't be surprised as the casino was packed with life. Why he hadn't gone to more of them when he could have culled their ranks, he couldn't even fathom. Hundreds of blood-sacks crammed into every available space, thoroughly zoned by the whirling slots and flashing lights. He and Dru would have had a field day.  
  
He scooped up the tokens, grinning to see he had lucked into a few hundred bucks. He glanced at the watch he had filched from Wesley and saw it was close to the time he was supposed to meet Angel and the others. Just as well, he felt the urge to keep pumping the tokens into the one-armed bandits and knew he wasn't likely to get lucky again. He cashed out, tucked the money away and tried to find exactly which bar had the battle of the bands.  
  
Spike saw Wesley's spindly body before he spotted Angel lurking at the back of the pub. The other vampire was too far away for Spike to easily approach him so he sidled over to the ex-Watcher. He smirked at the taller man seeing that Wesley appeared surprised to see him.  
  
"So has our boy been up yet?"  
  
"Not yet."  
  
Spike shrugged. "At least they let you smoke in here." He lit up just to watch Wesley make a face.  
  
Spike made eye contact with Angel a few times and the other vampire looked somewhere between bored and edgy; Spike knew the feeling. He wished that Cordelia had come into the casino but she was keeping Dawn company. He concentrated on other various female forms until Wesley nudged him.  
  
"That's Lindsey," he said as Passing the Bar took the stage.  
  
Spike noted the odd look on Wesley's face, glanced over at Angel and saw the same puzzlement. He turned his gaze to the stage and was surprised to see five men wearing black cowboy hats, tight black jeans and various western shirts. One of these men could be a lawyer? Spike didn't buy it.  
  
"Which one?"  
  
Wesley pointed to the man with the guitar wearing a black shirt with large red roses sequined down the front.  
  
"The little one? You're kidding? That bloke is a lawyer?" Spike asked.  
  
"Yes," Wesley said, taking stock of the vampire. "And you don't have much room calling anyone little."  
  
Spike glared up at the thin man as the steel guitar started to wail. Spike shuddered as the fiddle and guitar joined in. "Do I have to listen to this crap?"  
  
"Yes. And I should step away from you. Lindsey knows me. We need you to get him close to the RV once he's done here."  
  
"You realize that we'll probably have to wait until all the bands are done. He's not likely to leave here until he finds out if this caterwauling is considered a winner," Spike groaned, looking at the audience as if they had lost their minds as they enthusiastically cheered the first song.  
  
"Hopefully he'll step out for air or something before then but if we have to wait, you'll survive," Wesley said then worked his way through the crowd away from Spike.  
  
Spike suffered through the country music for the allotted fifteen minutes. Spike liked music, considered himself a fair enough singer as well. His tastes, in his opinion, were far more progressive than Angel's, the older vampire still stuck in a time warp or something. But Spike's tastes ran more to punk and heavy metal, not steel guitar and a twang. Still, he had to admit Lindsey had a good voice.  
  
Spike was very disappointed when Passing the Bar, a definite play on words given their signature song had more to do with not passing by any number of country bars than it did with lawyers, left the stage and Lindsey made no attempts to leave the area. Spike was forced to listen to yet another country band with less musical sense than cats in heat and then a band of high schoolers imitating The Backstreet Boys badly. Finally a leggy blonde caught the man's attention and led the lawyer outside. Spike nodded at Angel and followed the couple out.  
  
Spike half-listened to the girl babbling like a typical groupie and noticed the lawyer's eyes were on him not the girl. Spike resisted the urge to smirk. This man was sharp and obviously used to looking over his shoulder for danger.  
  
"Can I do something for you?" Lindsey asked, interrupting the girl.  
  
"I was about to tell you what I can do for you," Spike said. "I represent a small agency from Nashville, scouting for local talent."  
  
"Ooo, like another Garth Brooks. He was from Oklahoma, too!" the girl bubbled. "Do you do modeling, too? All my friends think I'd be a great model."  
  
"Sure, love, but I don't handle that. Head back inside and find a real skinny dark-haired man with glasses and an English accent. He handles the models," Spike said, more than eager to get rid of the girl. .  
  
"Okay. I just love your accent, too," she said and bounced away.  
  
"Who are you exactly, and don't give me another line about being an agent," Lindsey said, still in a defensive position.  
  
"No problem. How's about I was looking for a bite to eat and she seemed too dumb for that. Stupidity might be catching, wouldn't want to take the risk," Spike said advancing on Lindsey, his face morphing.  
  
"I thought I left your kind behind in L.A.," Lindsey growled, backing away.  
  
"No such luck." Spike lunged and Lindsey made a break for it, racing for his truck, knowing he was too far away to make it.  
  
Lindsey slammed into someone who stepped out of the shadows and nearly took him off his feet. He reeled back then realized Spike was closing in on him. Lindsey shook his head to clear it, feeling hands closing on his arm.  
  
"Run, man!" Lindsey said.  
  
"No need."  
  
Lindsey's head jerked up at the familiar voice. He made a face. "You, I should have known. And I'm betting that one is with you." He jerked a thumb at Spike.  
  
"Guilty as charged."  
  
Lindsey pulled free of Angel and surprised the vampire with a punch to the face. "That's for the sign you put on my truck."  
  
Angel grinned, wiping the blood from his lip. "I didn't come to fight. We need to talk."  
  
Lindsey swung again and Angel blocked it.  
  
Spike laughed. "This is fun. Draw a little blood, Angel. I'm hungry."  
  
Lindsey glanced back at him. "You're all really gross, aren't you?"  
  
"You're hurting my feelings," Spike said, still laughing.  
  
"Lindsey, we don't have time for this," Angel said.  
  
"Just finish the little bloke off, Angel before we attract attention," Spike said.  
  
"Shut up." Lindsey whirled and punched Spike.  
  
Spike growled and punched back, knocking Lindsey down. He nearly followed, holding his head and howling.  
  
"It really does hurt you, doesn't it?" Angel asked, scooping Lindsey up.  
  
"No, I just like screaming in pain." Spike flashed his teeth at Angel.  
  
Angel shrugged. "So Dru's told me."  
  
Spike growled.  
  
"Let's get him into the RV, and Spike, Dawn doesn't need to see that face." Angel gestured at Spike's game face as he half dragged, half forced Lindsey toward the RV. They managed to make it to the vehicle without anyone noticing. Spike banged on the door and Cordelia opened it, stepping out of the way as Angel hauled Lindsey inside.  
  
"Is that what lawyers wear in Oklahoma?" Cordelia asked, horrified at the sequins.  
  
Lindsey shot her a glare, wiping the blood from his chin. "Did you bring everyone with you, Angel, or just the really annoying ones?"  
  
"Hey!" Cordy said.  
  
"Cut it out, both of you," Angel said as Spike hopped inside, closing the door behind him.  
  
"He started it," Cordelia groused.  
  
Angel silenced her with a glance. "Have a seat, Lindsey."  
  
"Thanks, I'll stand," Lindsey said, an irritated grimace plastered on his face. "I left L.A. to be rid of your type, you know."  
  
"Hey, Angel's a good guy," Dawn said, getting up and joining the two vampires.  
  
Lindsey lifted an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Lindsey, this is Dawn Summers. Dawn, Lindsey McDonald." Angel squeezed the girl's shoulder. "You know Cordelia and you've met Spike already."  
  
"I'd say I'm pleased to meet all of you, but it'd be a lie," Lindsey said, folding his arms. "Can you just tell me what it was that made you drive half-way across the country to look me up? It couldn't be because you wanted to wish me well in my new job. Let me guess. You got a parking ticket and wanted me to get you out of it."  
  
"Does everyone you know hate you, Angel-cakes?" Spike asked.  
  
Angel cast a glare at the younger vampire then turned his attention back to the other man. "Lindsey, what did Wolfram and Hart tell you about the Slayer?"  
  
The change of subject caught Lindsey off guard. "The Slayer?" he asked, hiding behind lawyer impartiality.  
  
"The vampire Slayer," Dawn said impatiently. "The Chosen One. Into every generation one is born to fight evil?" She put her hands on her hips. "My sister?"  
  
Lindsey was taken aback by Dawn's attack, Angel could tell. "It's okay, Dawn. Give him a chance to answer."  
  
She made a face but subsided, leaning back against Spike, though she crossed her arms in a defensive position. Spike draped an arm around her shoulders.  
  
Lindsey took that sight in for a second, his eyes flickering with surprise, then he regained control of his expression and gave Angel a smile. "The Slayer. Isn't she the reason you lost your soul?"  
  
Angel moved across the small space, grabbing Lindsey by the front of his shirt. "Don't play games here, Lindsey. You won't win. And you know I can hurt people, unlike Spike."  
  
"Oh, give it up, Angel. Let him go. We'll find someone else to help us," Cordelia said. "He's not worth the effort. Besides, he's a lawyer." Her shoulders moved in distaste. "I don't think they even have souls."  
  
"I'd forgotten just how sweet your company is, Cordelia," Lindsey said, pushing at Angel's hands.  
  
She made a face at him and leaned against a counter. "Get rid of him, Angel."  
  
"I'll ask you again, Lindsey," Angel said, turning his attention back to the attorney. "What do you know about the Slayer?"  
  
Lindsey seemed to be about to say another smart remark but dropped it when he looked into Angel's eyes. "What she said. Dawn. The Slayer's one of the white hats. As long as she didn't mess with us, Wolfram and Hart wasn't going to mess with her." He hesitated. "Except for Faith. But you know how that turned out."  
  
"All too well. She tortured Wesley, tried to kill Angel, gave me a black eye." Cordelia stopped at Angel's look. "What?"  
  
He shook his head at her and she subsided. "Do you still consider yourself to be part of Wolfram and Hart?" Angel asked.  
  
He lowered his eyes to his hand. He flexed it, turned it over and stared at the palm, then glanced back up at Angel. "No. You know that."  
  
Angel nodded and took a step back. "All right. Dawn, here, is the sister of the Slayer." He set himself to say the words. "The Slayer is gone. She.died last week. Their mother passed away not very long ago. Dawn needs protection. A guardian."  
  
Lindsey chuckled and broke it off when he saw the ring of serious faces around him. "You aren't joking."  
  
Dawn scowled at him. "Do you think we'd joke about Buffy being dead?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Dawn." Lindsey seemed genuinely contrite. "It's just.a vampire? Protecting the Slayer's kid sister? No offense, but it sounds strange."  
  
"Buffy wasn't your average Slayer," Spike said coolly. "Are you sure he's a lawyer, Angel? He doesn't seem to be all that bright."  
  
"Shut up, Spike," Angel said and the door swung open, Wesley climbing inside, pushing his glasses back into place.  
  
"Oh, good. You found him," he said, puffing a little. "I'm sorry I didn't return sooner. I was accosted by young women who, for some reason, believed I was a talent scout for a modeling agency." Wesley peered at the faces. "I'm assuming that Mr. McDonald has not agreed to assist us."  
  
Lindsey turned back to Angel. "So, you're appointing yourself Dawn's protector. Why does that involve me?"  
  
Angel gestured at the girl. "It needs to be legal. I don't want anyone trying to take Dawn away from me. Not until I know she's safe."  
  
"That'll be a little difficult," Lindsey said, almost to himself. "I don't know much about custody, Angel. I'm more used to corporate law." He studied his hands again. "Plus, you appear to be a single man with no real relationship to Dawn. That'll make it tougher." He gestured to the girl. "What about your father?"  
  
Dawn shrugged, her eyes blazing. "I don't know where he is. We tried to get in touch with him when Mom died, but he's in some other country." She flung a hand in the air. "He doesn't care."  
  
"Temporary custody isn't that hard," Lindsey said, looking to Angel again. "We can draw up the papers, have a judge sign off on them. But full legal guardianship?" He shook his head. "That's tougher. You have to go through a Guardian ad Litem and interviews. Prove that you're capable of taking care of a child. No offense, Dawn."  
  
She nodded, folding up her arms again.  
  
"Where would she have to be in the meantime?" Cordelia asked, worriedly.  
  
"Well, with the temporary papers, she'd be able to stay with Angel," Lindsey said. "Unless someone challenges that, of course. Then it would be up to the courts to decide."  
  
Angel wondered again if it wouldn't have been better for Dawn to stay with Giles. He was human at least, and would have Willow and Xander's help. "How soon before you can get started on this?"  
  
"I'm guessing, if you came all the way to Oklahoma to find me, you want it done now," Lindsey said.  
  
"Good guess," Spike said.  
  
"Stick around for the rest of the show. I'll find you. We'll talk again afterwards."  
  
"What, listen to that crap?" Spike asked. "I think I'd rather go back to Caritas."  
  
"Spike," Angel rumbled.  
  
The blond snarled but subsided.  
  
"How do we know you won't take off, call your old friends?" Cordelia asked.  
  
Lindsey gave her a pitying smile. "You need to work on your trust issues," he said and slipped out the door past Wesley.  
  
"What? I trust people. Just not lawyers who used to work for Wolfram and Hart," Cordy said when everyone looked at her.  
  
"I think that went very well, considering," Wesley said, leaning against the cupboard.  
  
Angel sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Maybe we should go get some rooms somewhere. We don't know how long this will take."  
  
"Um, Angel?" Cordelia said. "I don't know about you, but my funds are still a little low. I don't know if we can afford rooms."  
  
"You mean we might have to stay in the RV?" Dawn asked, horrified.  
  
"No, we will not have to stay in the RV." Spike pulled out a wad of bills. "We can stay in something that doesn't make us feel like sardines in a rolling can."  
  
"Where'd you get that?" Cordelia asked, her eyes wide.  
  
"Won it at the slots." Spike shrugged. "Don't everyone thank me at once," he added as they all stared at the money.  
  
"Thank you, Spike." Dawn threw her arms around him and gave him a hug.  
  
He awkwardly patted her back. "S'okay, little bit. You need a good night's sleep, anyway." 


	6. chapter 6

Chapter Six  
  
Angel and Spike headed back into the club to listen to the rest of the bands, well in theory but Angel noticed that Spike had disappeared into the gaming areas as soon as his back was turned. He figured it didn't really matter. He trusted Lindsey not to run though he couldn't say why. Wesley had gone with the women to get rooms at the first available no-name hotel near the casino. He didn't relish their options though. Curtains in hotels never seemed to close all the way so that left him and Spike sleeping in the tubs or under the beds. He had no desire to find out what was under a hotel bed. That left sleeping again in the RV for him and Spike. At least neither of them breathed so there was no snoring.  
  
Angel spotted Lindsey near the bar. The lawyer hoisted a beer mug at him with a smirk that made Angel doubt for a moment that help was forthcoming. He actually scouted the room for Wolfram and Hart thugs. Spike eventually rolled back in and parked himself at the bar. Angel figured he had either won more or stolen enough to actually buy himself drinks. Lindsey didn't shrink away from the other vampire despite only being two stools away. Angel gave him credit. Then again, it could be Lindsey had no idea of William the Bloody's reputation. The longer Angel watched Lindsey the harder it was to see the lawyer overwhelmed by the cowboy image he was putting forth.  
  
It was nearing one in the morning when the winners of the battle of the bands were announced. Lindsey and Passing the Bar collected their accolades and good for his word, the lawyer made his way over to Angel with Spike trailing him.  
  
"Meet me at the Stumble Inn downtown tomorrow and I'll have the temporary guardianship paperwork ready for you," Lindsey said.  
  
"I'm afraid to ask about this place," Spike muttered ignoring Angel's glare.  
  
"It's a country bar where they ride live bulls on the weekend. We have a gig there," Lindsey offered.  
  
"What are you doing here, Lindsey? Looking for your big break into Nashville?" Angel asked.  
  
"What do you care? I figured you'd be happy enough that I'm out of Wolfram and Hart."  
  
"I really don't care what you do, Lindsey. For once it looks like you aren't doing things that are putting people at risk. I'd probably like you better as a country singer than a lawyer," Angel said.  
  
Lindsey snorted. "I'll pretend that matters. Just meet me tomorrow at the bar. I'll have to get back to you on permanent guardianship."  
  
"Thanks. And Lindsey I do appreciate all your help. This could save Dawn's life," Angel said.  
  
Lindsey nodded. "Just don't think I've forgotten about that sign you hung on my truck." He headed off with the rest of his band.  
  
Spike lit up. "So, Peaches, what did you put on the back of his truck that's got him so ticked?"  
  
Angel smirked. "A sign reading 'cops suck'."  
  
Spike laughed. "Every once in awhile I like your style."  
  
* * *  
  
"Are you sure?" Dawn asked looking at the Stumble Inn.  
  
"This is the place," Wesley said.  
  
"But it's a bar. Can I go in?" Dawn asked.  
  
"It has a restaurant too so probably you can. We can try," Cordelia said.  
  
The whole group went up to the restaurant. Country music rattled through the wooden structure. There was a corral out back that it was beginning to fill with people in the stands. The sweet-spicy scent of barbeque floated on the night air.  
  
"That smell is making me so hungry." Dawn rubbed her belly.  
  
The music is making me nuts." Spike grumbled.  
  
Dawn slapped his arm. "You'll live.sort of. I think I kind of like it."  
  
"Don't make me want to stake myself," Spike shot back.  
  
"I vote we play country music all the way back home," Cordy piped up.  
  
Spike's lips peeled back. "Chase, I ought to-"  
  
"What? Give me a hickey? It's not like you can bite me." She cocked an eyebrow at him and he grumbled.  
  
"Spike." Angel let the threat drop. "Let's get something for the others to eat. We have time before we need to meet Lindsey."  
  
They went in and had to take a seat in the smoking section if they didn't want an hour wait for a table. They forced Spike into a promise he wouldn't smoke at the table. There was little left but rib and chicken bones on the plates when Lindsey found them.  
  
"Got good barbeque here don't they?" he asked, crowding onto the table.  
  
"Yes." Dawn bubbled, sauce still rouging her lips.  
  
"Did you get the paperwork?" Angel asked.  
  
"And good evening to you, too, Mr. One Track Mind," Lindsey said wryly handing over the paperwork. "Just needs your signature."  
  
Angel took the paperwork and looked at Lindsey for several long moments. "Thanks Lindsey. This means a lot."  
  
"In the end it may not change things. There's no way you can go to court to get permanent custody."  
  
Angel nodded. "This is enough for now. It has to be."  
  
"I'd have a fall back plan if I were you," Lindsey replied.  
  
"Fair enough. Lindsey, there's one more thing," Angel said.  
  
The lawyer rolled his eyes. "I knew this was coming."  
  
"It'll afford you the chance to get a little of your own back from your old employers," Wesley said.  
  
Lindsey snorted. "It may come as a surprise but I'm not really in a hurry to irritate Wolfram and Hart."  
  
"This is just a minor irritation. Wolfram and Hart are trying to buy the hotel I'm renting. They can't wait to put me out," Angel said.  
  
"There's nothing illegal about that," Lindsey said.  
  
"Knowing Wolfram and Hart I'm not so sure about that. But what we're hoping for is a way to block them or buy the Hyperion for ourselves," Angel said.  
  
"You have that kind of money?" Lindsey asked.  
  
"I have money," Angel said.  
  
Cordy folded her arms. "We are so talking raises when we get home."  
  
Angel rolled his eyes. "We might be able to work out something with the hotel but it's also a good idea to have a lawyer on our side for this."  
  
"That's a given but I don't see why it should be me. Go look in the yellow pages."  
  
"You know Wolfram and Hart from the inside out. You know ways of hurting them," Angel said.  
  
"You're asking me to paint a very big bulls eye on my forehead."  
  
"You did that when you walked away from them," Angel retorted.  
  
"Could you at least look into it? There may be ways of doing this without directly attacking Wolfram and Hart and that would leave you out of it," Wesley said.  
  
Before Lindsey could answer - and the look on his face gave them little hope - screams echoed from outside. Lindsey got to his feet.  
  
"The bulls," he hissed.  
  
"Bulls?" Spike asked.  
  
"There's live bull riding tonight," Lindsey said, scrambling to his feet, heading for the exit to the corral area. People spilled through desperately trying to get into the building.  
  
Angel followed not really sure he knew how to handle a raging bull. His companions went with him used to following his lead. The bulls, however, weren't the problem.  
  
"What's with the guys in armor?" Lindsey asked, watching several men riding next to the corral on horseback.  
  
"Armor?" Dawn shrank against Spike.  
  
"Angel, those are the knights of Byzantium. They're the ones trying to kill the Key," Spike snapped.  
  
"How do you kill a key? They aren't alive?" Lindsey pointed out.  
  
"I'm the Key," Dawn said softly.  
  
"We can't let those bullies hurt her," Cordy said.  
  
"No worries there," Angel said, taking a few steps in the knights' direction.  
  
"Um, Peaches, these guys are deadly serious and I can't help fight them. They're human," Spike said.  
  
"Might I suggest we run then," Wesley said.  
  
"Way ahead of you." Cordy grabbed Dawn's hand and started back toward the front of the restaurant.  
  
An arrow winged past them. Cordy shrieked and ducked, losing her footing. Spike snatched Dawn away from her and pushed the teen ahead of him. Grunting in pain, Spike nearly went to his knees as two arrows sprouted from his back. Dawn screamed. Spike staggered back up, putting his body between Dawn and the archer again.  
  
"Angel, could you please take care of the wanker with the bow?" Spike snarled then howled again as an arrow slammed into him, the point of it scratching Dawn where she huddled against his chest. "Watch the heart, you bloody idiot!"  
  
Angel snagged balls from the pool table and threw one, taking out one of the knights with the eight ball. He staggered back into another of his companions, both of them falling with a clatter of metal. Another ball struck a knight in the chest plate, denting the armor. He kept coming, swinging his sword. Angel threw another ball and charged in, too close for the knight to use his weapon.  
  
Lindsey yelped as an arrow whizzed by him. "Knowing you damn vampires is going to get me killed," he raged.  
  
"At least they're trying to help," Cordy yelled, sliding under a table seeing the doorway was still blocked with stampeding patrons.  
  
"Angel can handle a half dozen men. Maybe we ought to make sure they don't have an easy way out of here," Wesley said, pointing out the back door to where the knights' abandoned horses were.  
  
Lindsey nodded and raced along the wall away from the sword bearing men and out into the corral. He did a dangerous dance with a nervous gelding before snagging the reins. He called to the local cowboy types who hovered around the corral, some trying to calm the bulls, others too stunned to run. They helped him control the horses and with some less than subtle suggestions from Lindsey, put the horses into the trailers recently vacated by the penned bulls.  
  
One of the knights peeled off from the group, trying to get past Angel and took after Lindsey. With a startled cry, Lindsey dodged the sword swing putting the last horse he had the reins to between him and the swordsman. The horse panicked and kicked the knight straight into the railing. He didn't get back up. Against his better judgment, Lindsey didn't flee. He didn't like the idea of leaving a kid to the mercy of these men. He ran inside where Angel was still facing off with three of the knights. The vampire had on his game face and blood flowed from several wounds.  
  
One of the knights whirled, heading straight for Lindsey. Lindsey grabbed the only weapon at hand, a chair, and used it to block the sword swing resulting in large hunks of wood going flying.  
  
"Why are you trying to kill me? I'm not with these guys!" Lindsey shouted.  
  
"Yes he is. He's our lawyer," Spike called dragging the man's attention to him. "I bet you know what Shakespeare said about what should be done with lawyers."  
  
"What are you trying to do?" Lindsey asked, swinging the remains of the chair like a Louisville Slugger, knocking the man out cold. "Get me killed?"  
  
"No, just distract him long enough for you to do something," Spike said as Cordy scrambled in to do what she and Wesley had been doing, disarming and tying up all the men Angel knocked unconscious.  
  
"That's the last of them," Angel said, still holding onto an unconscious knight.  
  
Spike disengaged himself from Dawn and examined her arm where the arrow had gashed her. "You okay, little bit?"  
  
She nodded her head. "It's shallow. Why are they still after me?" Her voice was brittle.  
  
"Power. It's always about power," Spike said, snapping off the arrow points. "A little help here someone?"  
  
Dawn grimaced and went behind him to try and pull the arrow out feeling it grind against bone and tissue. She stopped, gagging. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Let me," Wesley said, taking over the job.  
  
"These jokers are the reasons you wanted custody of Dawn?" Lindsey asked.  
  
Angel nodded. "Among others."  
  
"Now I see why." Lindsey sagged into a chair.  
  
"Talk to me," Angel said to the man he held, shaking him to try and rouse him. The man's eyes opened. "Why were you trying to kill this young lady?" Angel thrust a hand at Dawn.  
  
"She's the Key," the man said.  
  
"How can you be so sure?" Dawn cried.  
  
"The clerics' magic shared your image with us all. You fools do not know what you've done. This Key must be destroyed before it can be used."  
  
"It's too late," Dawn shrieked, losing all composure as she stomped over to him. "I've been used! The gates opened and my sister died to close them. Do you understand? It's over. Glory is dead and so is my sister. There's no more to this story."  
  
"The beast is dead?" the man said slowly in shock.  
  
"Bloody right. She's dead. Her scabby little helpers are gone and the gateway is closed," Spike said.  
  
"That-that cannot be."  
  
"It can. Glory's gone. Just leave me alone. I'm so tired of running from you. There's no need for me to keep running," Dawn said tiredly. She nearly went to the ground as nerves got the better of her. Cordy raced over to steady her.  
  
"Dead," the man whispered, sinking to his knees as his whole purpose for existing evaporated.  
  
The sounds of multiple police sirens reached everyone's ears.  
  
"Call me crazy but I don't want to be here when the police arrive," Spike said.  
  
"For once we agree," Wesley said.  
  
They abandoned the knights in the restaurant as they hustled for the RV. Angel caught Lindsey as the lawyer tried to part company. He dragged the smaller man kicking and fighting to the RV. Wesley slid into the driver's seat and got the thing moving.  
  
"Why did you bring me here?" Lindsey snapped.  
  
"You can get back to your truck later," Angel said.  
  
"I'm not keen about leaving my truck there with the cops swarming around."  
  
"You were supposed to be there," Cordy reminded him.  
  
Lindsey snorted. "Those guys tried to kill me."  
  
"That's why we felt it was so necessary to get custody of Dawn," Angel said.  
  
"And you got it but I can't think of way for you to get past the court date for permanent custody like I said earlier. You'd be better off having Wesley try for it." He waved a hand at Cordelia. "Or her."  
  
"We'll take it under advisement," Angel said.  
  
"Dawny, you're covered in blood," Cordy squeaked, noticing the girl's condition for the first time.  
  
Dawn looked at her shirt with a grimace. "It's mostly Spike's. I just got a little cut. Are we going back to the hotel or should I shower in the RV?"  
  
"We have no one following us," Wesley said checking the mirrors. "But we probably shouldn't risk staying in town."  
  
"Showering in a closet it is." Dawn sighed.  
  
"And I guess I'll be fine just in case anyone cares," Spike grumbled, stripping off his ruined jacket.  
  
"Caring about evil vampires isn't high on our to-do list," Cordy said.  
  
"And since you didn't turn into a pile of dust we know you'll be fine," Wesley added.  
  
"Thanks for the concern." Spike removed the bloody remains of his shirt. His pale chest was dotted with three ugly wounds.  
  
"I hope you are planning on putting on another shirt. I don't want to look at those gross things." Cordy pointed to the arrow tracks. "That goes for you, too, Angel," she added seeing her friend had similarly stripped to the waist to gauge his wounds.  
  
Spike glared. "When they stop oozing, I will."  
  
Angel dug out the first aid kit and started bandaging Spike's back.  
  
"Little bit, I think you should try a new look when you get back to L.A.," Spike said.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"If those clerics beamed your faced to all their brethren, it might help to look a little less like you. Maybe a hair cut and change of color," Spike said.  
  
"I'm sure Spike knows where you can get it bleached," Cordy said.  
  
Spike shot her a two-fingered salute. "And I'd raid Miss Priss' wardrobe, too."  
  
"Hey, hands off my clothes," Cordy snapped. "Angel spent good money on the wardrobe."  
  
"Do you plan on dropping me off before we leave the city limits?" Lindsey asked.  
  
Before anyone could answer Angel's cell phone jangled. While he answered it, Dawn took over bandaging up Spike.  
  
"Hang on Willow," Angel barked into the phone. "Wesley, pull this thing over. It's ruining my reception."  
  
"Are you sure?" Wesley asked, though he guided the vehicle to the shoulder of the road, raising a cloud of red dust.  
  
Angel jumped out of the door, jamming a finger in his ear to blot out the road sounds around him. "Okay, Willow, I can hear you now."  
  
Dawn stood in the doorway, hanging on to the metal lip, her mouth open to ask questions. Angel shook his head at her, mouthing the word, 'Wait.'  
  
"Angel? Can you hear me?" Willow's voice came clearly through the receiver.  
  
"Just fine. What is it? Nothing else has happened, has it?" He hoped not, though he wasn't sure why Willow might be calling.  
  
"I came to your hotel looking for you and your friends, Gunn and Fred, gave me your cell phone number. Where are you? They said you were going to Oklahoma. What's in Oklahoma?"  
  
Lindsey and Spike both peered out at him, Spike laying a hand on Dawn's shoulder. Angel flicked a glance at them. "A lawyer I know, so I could see about getting custody of Dawn."  
  
"Custody?" Willow paused. "Angel, you might not need to do that."  
  
"Why? Has her father shown up?" Angel thought that might be likely, though he knew Dawn would rather not be with the man.  
  
"No. I told you Giles was going to England, to see the Watchers' Council, right?"  
  
Angel could almost hear Willow dancing in place, her voice was so excited. "Yeah," he said, warily.  
  
"No new Slayer has been called, Angel."  
  
"What?" Angel clutched the telephone tightly, reaching out for the side of the motor home to brace himself. He faintly heard Dawn asking what was wrong. "B-but Faith," he said, "couldn't her still being alive cause that?"  
  
"They aren't sure, Angel. Someone found another old prophecy about a Slayer dying but not and there was more about her traveling between worlds. Giles thinks the prophecy is about Buffy." Willow practically beamed through the connection. "Angel, you need to get to Sunnydale right now. You and Dawn both. We need to go after Buffy. Giles thinks she's in Glory's dimension and we've got to go find her."  
  
"We'll be there in a day and a half, Willow," Angel said firmly. "We'll talk then." He met Dawn's curious eyes.  
  
"Bye Angel. Give Dawn our love."  
  
"Bye, Willow." He folded up the phone and tucked it into a pocket.  
  
"Spill it," Spike said. "Something bad's happened in Sunnydale, hasn't it?"  
  
"Oh, god, no," Cordelia moaned from her open passenger door.  
  
"Get inside. Wes, get this thing moving. We're going back to California," Angel said, motioning the others back into the vehicle.  
  
"Whoa up, Angel. Nobody said anything about me signing up to go to L.A.," Lindsey said, holding up his hands, not letting the vampire pass.  
  
"What did Willow have to say?" Dawn asked, shifting from one foot to the other. "Glory isn't back, is she?"  
  
"No, Glory isn't back." Angel felt an emotion bubbling up within him, the first hope he'd felt since he'd seen Willow in the lobby of the Hyperion.  
  
"You look happy," Cordelia said suspiciously, then her eyes widened as she put pieces together. "Is it?"  
  
"Buffy. It's about Buffy," Dawn whispered.  
  
Angel took her shoulders. "Giles isn't for sure," he said to her softly. "But she might be alive."  
  
Her mouth trembled and her eyes filled. "A-alive?"  
  
"We shouldn't get our hopes up," Angel said gently, "if she is alive, she's in another dimension."  
  
"But you went and found Cordy," Dawn said, biting her lip. "We can find Buffy." The tears broke and rolled down her cheeks. She wiped at them quickly. "We can." Her voice firmed up. "We can, Angel. You and me and Spike and Willow and Xander and Giles and Anya. We can find her!"  
  
"What are we, chopped liver?" Cordy asked, under her breath.  
  
"Shh," Wesley said, piloting the huge vehicle to the road leading to the interstate. He glanced in the mirror, seeing Dawn's joy and the strangeness of her hugging first one, then another person who didn't reflect in the glass. Lindsey leaned against the countertop, his arms folded as he watched the scene play out in front of him. Dawn turned to him, surprising him as she threw her arms around his waist as well. Lindsey didn't seem sure how to react, finally returning her hug tentatively. Dawn turned her attention to Cordelia.  
  
"She's alive," Dawn said, flinging her arms around the young woman's neck. Cordelia held her close, looking over her head at Angel and Spike, who looked as excited and hopeful as Dawn. Cordelia pressed her cheek against the crown of Dawn's head, hoping, after all this, Buffy was alive and this wasn't some stupid new torture her friends had to go through.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lindsey," Wesley said. "Did you want to get out here?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Wait," Angel demanded.  
  
Lindsey's face puckered. "What?"  
  
"We still need you."  
  
"I can help with your hotel problem from here."  
  
"No. We need to get across dimensions. We did it recently to rescue Cordy but the spell might have been specific for that dimension. We did pick up three very interesting texts there each bound with a different animal a wolf, ram and hart," Angel explained.  
  
"I haven't had a chance to translate any of them yet," Wesley put in.  
  
"What's this have to do with me?" Lindsey asked suspiciously.  
  
"If we don't have the spell to get across to Glory's dimension we'll have to find another way short of bleeding Dawn again. Wolfram and Hart has repositories of arcane items if our past dealings are any indication. You would be our best bet in finding the right tome or scroll. You've cast spells with them in the past," Angel said.  
  
Lindsey gave a bitter laugh. "And it cost me my hand. No way. I am not showing you where the firm stores things like that."  
  
"Then you do know where it is," Wesley said.  
  
Lindsey made a face at his slip up. "Some of it. I'm not helping you find it. Let me out of this thing."  
  
"No!" Dawn shrieked. "You can't let him go."  
  
"Little bit, kidnapping a lawyer really isn't our best bet," Spike said.  
  
"But he has to help. We have to get Buffy back." Dawn went to Lindsey, taking his hand. "My sister might be alive. Please, you have to help us find her. She could be hurt. She needs our help. If you don't help us find the right books, we might not ever get her back. When we came here, I had lost all hope. I didn't even really care if you helped Angel get custody of me or not." She swiveled her head to look at Angel. "No offense. But now there's hope. Please don't take that from me."  
  
Lindsey dropped his gaze. "You don't know what you're asking."  
  
"Think of what happens to this world if there's no Slayer, Lindsey. What kind of hell will this turn into if you turn down the chance to help us?" Angel asked.  
  
"Please, I want my sister back," Dawn said, squeezing his hand.  
  
Lindsey looked over her shoulder at Angel. "You do realize you're asking me to commit suicide here, if Wolfram and Hart figures it out."  
  
"We'll be as careful as we can," Angel promised.  
  
Lindsey looked into Dawn's open, anxious face. "All right. I can tell my new employers I had a family emergency back in California. Hopefully I won't be let go." He rubbed his face. "I came to Oklahoma to simplify my life."  
  
"There are some things you just can't walk away from, Lindsey," Angel said.  
  
The lawyer settled back on the bench seat. "Which one of you is footing my bill?"  
  
"Bill?" Wesley asked, starting up the vehicle again.  
  
"I have no clothes. Someone has to buy me a new wardrobe."  
  
"Borrow Spike's. You're small enough," Cordy piped up and both men glared at her. "What? He's short, too."  
  
"I'm not short," Lindsey snarled.  
  
"You are so lucky you aren't dinner, Chase," Spike added.  
  
"We'll get you some clothes, Lindsey," Angel said before they could start sniping worse.  
  
"Thank you for doing this." Dawn kissed Lindsey's cheek.  
  
"Wesley, let me drive. If we're going to drive all day to get back to California, you and Cordy need to catch some sleep since Spike and I aren't going to be of much help in the day," Angel said and Wesley didn't argue.  
  
Angel started the RV down the road as Spike dropped into the shotgun seat. Lindsey sidled up and turned on the radio, quickly tuning it to a country station. Bubba Shot the Jukebox rattled through the vehicle. Spike turned the radio off in disgust.  
  
"I don't think so, blood bag."  
  
"Hey, I kinda liked the beat in that," Dawn said.  
  
Lindsey turned to her, "I'll teach you how to line dance later when they're asleep." He jerked a thumb at the vampires and Dawn beamed.  
  
"Just do me the favor of opening the blinds and letting the sun get me first," Spike shot back.  
  
"This is going to be a long trip," Angel muttered to no one in particular but he found he really didn't care. Dawn had said it best. They had come to Oklahoma, defeated, trying to make the best of a horrible situation but they were going home feeling hope for the first time. If Buffy was alive in Glory's dimension nothing would stop them from finding her. Angel stomped on the accelerated and the RV roared across the dark, flat Oklahoma prairie. 


End file.
